Nov 18, 2008
The Scarlet Letter | The Scarlet Letter
At a glance:
- Author: Nathaniel Hawthorne
- First Published: 1850
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Psychological realism
- Time of Work: Mid-seventeenth century
- Setting: Boston
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., Colonies or colonization, Mistaken or secret identity, Guilt, New England, Ministry or ministers, Seventeenth century, Adultery, Punishment, Good and evil, Revenge, Illegitimacy, Boston, Sermons, Gossip, Massachusetts Bay Colony, Needlepoint or needlework
- Locales: Boston, MA
Characters Discussed
Hester Prynne, an attractive young woman living among the
Puritans of Boston during the 1650’s. She becomes a martyr because she, presumably a
widow, bears a child out of wedlock; this sin results in her being jailed and then publicly exhibited
on a pillory for three hours. After she is released from jail, she must wear for a lifetime a scarlet
“A” upon her bosom. She becomes a seamstress, stitching and embroidering to earn
a living for herself and for Pearl, her child. After her one act of sin, Hester behaves with such
uncanny rectitude that she...
[The entire page is 941 words long]
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